The Origin of Gongsheng in Minnan Architecture in Wudian City, Jinjiang

The red brick in front of me is very big, and the red momentum is striking! This is the largest preserved area of ancient buildings in southern Fujian in Wudian city. The ancient buildings in China are divided into royal buildings and private buildings, and there are strict grade differences in the use of colors. Private buildings generally use simple and elegant colors such as white and gray, such as villages in the south of the Yangtze River in Wuyuan, Huizhou, Xitang and Zhouzhuang. Royal buildings are dedicated to red, yellow and other gorgeous colors, such as the Forbidden City. Minnan architecture is not a royal building. Why are red bricks and tiles widely used?

The buildings in southern Fujian have an open atmosphere, with red bricks and colorful dovetail ridges interlaced, one after another, much like palaces. Therefore, people also call this kind of building "Gong Sheng (body)".

But why is there a "palace" in southern Fujian?

This has to start with the legend of "giving you a palace". According to legend, during the Guangxu period, Huang, a beautiful woman from Quanzhou, was elected to the palace by the king of Fujian, and was made a princess because of her talent and beauty. One day, it was raining heavily, and the king of Min saw Effie sitting at the window crying, so he asked, "Effie, you live in a palace, wearing silks and satins and eating delicious food. What are you dissatisfied with? " The princess replied, "I miss home!" Relatives live in a hut by the sea. When they encounter heavy rain and strong winds, it is often the thatched cottage that collapses and is miserable. Now, in such a heavy rain, this family doesn't know how much they have suffered! " King Min pitied her concern for her relatives and replied, "Don't worry about my beloved princess, I will give you a palace-style house!" " Hearing this, the princess immediately knelt down to thank her, and then said to the eunuch who handed the imperial seal, "Your Majesty has given my family a palace-style house. Please send the decree as soon as possible. "When the king of Fujian said" your house ",he only mentioned the princess's home. At this time, when she said "my home", she was deliberately ambiguous, which made the eunuchs mistakenly think that she meant the whole Quanzhou government and benefited her hometown. Therefore, the whole Quanzhou government, especially the dignitaries, gentry, wealthy businessmen and overseas Chinese, and even ordinary people's families, have built houses one after another. Like palaces, these houses are magnificent, with patios separated and corridors connected, and dovetail ridges pointing directly at the sky, elegant and solid, and magnificent.